Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, July 22, 2021 | Volume 134 Number 14 | Jasper, Georgia | 22 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1-00
Inside this Edition:
A look back,
from Olympics
flame carrier to
a growing music
Scene Page 3A
Government News
County adds
monthly meetings,
restructures chain
of command
Page 7A
Recognition
Optimist Club
honors legacy of
Eubanks and
Hinton
Page 5A
Entertainment
Sports
Dragons take it
inside on rainy
days Page 1B
Obituaries - 6A
• Andrew Burton
• Howard Carver
• Linda Woodward
• Mack Hammontree
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
www.pickensprogress.com
Open for business during
these hours: Mon-Thurs,
9-5, and Fri, 9-4:30
By Utie Book
Superintendent
discusses curriculum
in local schools
Back to School info:
Open House Dates;
Start schedules
Page 10A
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
As schools prepare to
open for another year
(first week of August), the
Progress sat down with
Superintendent Tony
Young to discuss how and
who decides what is
taught in Pickens class
rooms. The Progress has
had several e-mails and
calls recently from read
ers, citing concerns that
political agendas are in
fluencing curriculum.
Young agreed with an
observation that this close
scrutiny is nothing new;
for much of the past
decade it was novels that
were the lightning rods,
such as having Harry Pot
ter and other magic/super-
natural books in a school
library, but now the pub
lic’s attention is on the
history curriculum.
“It has really shifted
from the novels to more
political; it has gone from
the books that people
wanted censored in the li
brary to focus more on the
content in U.S. history,”
he said. “I think it may re
flect where we are as a na-
See School on 10A
Stop, wave and say “have a nice day”
$1.00 per copy
Jennifer Paire / Photo
This driver, who followed instructions to drive slowly through the construction
zone on Gennett Drive in Jasper, gets a wave from Flagger Force's field specialist
Daeshawn Covington. "I rock my paddle back and forth because it’s going to help
get their attention." These crews have been seen around town for months as part of
Georgia Power’s Grid Investment Plan project. Ever wonder what these workers
think about all day while they direct traffic? See a related story on Page 10B that
delves into the day-to-day life of a flagger.
Extensive repair underway at Big Canoe’s Lake Disharoon
By Melissa Lowrie
Contributing Writer
(Back Row, l-r) Economic Developer Green Sut-
tles; Airport authority members Ed Wood, Don Bog-
gus and Jerry Edwards; Chamber President Amberle
Godfrey; Lead Edge Design Group employees Whit
ney Eberly, Amanda Rostin and Phil Eberly; (Front)
State Rep. Rick Jasperse; DOT Commissioner Russell
McMurry and Commission Chair Kris Stancil.
Within Big Canoe’s mountainous
landscape are the three man-made
lakes.
Lake Sconti provides the stun
ning views from the clubhouse and
borders the Creek golf course on
several holes. Lake Petit, the largest
of the three, is stocked for fishing,
boasts Eagle Island, and has two
marinas full of pontoon boats, ca
noes, kayaks and other watercraft.
There is a waiting list for a slip at the
very popular amenity. Petit was con
structed in 1972 and named for some
of the first settlers in the area.
The third lake, Disharoon, is sit
uated at the Beach Club (formerly
See Lake on 11A
The ample rainfall lately has assisted in a quick refill of Lake Disharoon. The photo on the left was taken
July 18. The photo on the right, taken April 4, shows the lake after draining. Photos/Melissa Lowrie
Enter our coloring
contest for a
chance to win
an ice cream
Page 8A
County gets $i.8M for airport terminal
Submitted by Pickens
County Government
The Pickens County
Airport Authority will re
ceive $1.8 million in
funding for the construc
tion of a new airport ter
minal at the Pickens
County Airport. The
grant, awarded by the
Georgia Department of
Transportation, is com
prised of a combination
both State and Federal
funds, with a local match
of only $275,000.
Earlier this month,
District 11 Representative
Rick Jasperse welcomed
Georgia Department of
See Airport on 11A
Georgia Power utility work
to continue into October
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
It’s been about 10 months since
Georgia Power work began in Pick
ens for the company’s Grid Invest
ment Plan, a statewide project to put
powerlines underground and “en
hance service and reliability in com
munities across Georgia.”
Georgia Power is investing $1.3
billion over the next three years as
the initial phase of the multi-year
project. But after so many months of
construction, local motorists have
grown weary of traffic delays. Work
has recently shifted from a concen
tration in downtown Jasper to Cove
and other outlying roads where in
some spots crews have been in the
same location for several weeks.
Responding to complaints from
local residents, the Progress got in
touch with Georgia Power
Spokesman Craig Bell to discuss the
project that was originally set to be
completed by this past January.
How much longer will the work
go on in Pickens County?
The above ground facility
strengthening project in the Pickens
County area is now complete. We
are still working to complete the un
dergrounding portion with an antici
pated construction completion date
of October 2021.
Why do the crews seem to stall
at certain points — are they going
under roads and hit rock or are
some areas just more difficult to
finish?
Various issues can impact the
work of our undergrounding crews.
Among other factors, hitting rock
can slow progress of directional bor
ing, and inclement weather condi
tions can slow progress in an
existing project area or require grid
project crews to support more imme
diate storm response elsewhere.
How many more roads are you
going to address in Pickens
County? And which roads will
those will be?
Our grid teams are working
throughout Jasper to complete this
important work that when finished is
designed to reduce the length and
number of outages. Georgia Power
appreciates customers’ patience
throughout the process.
The following construction loca
tions are included for this area proj
ect:
Future / Current
Construction Projects
•Going out Cove Road, ending
before Grandview Road
•Streets near and around Jasper
City Park, Lee Newton Memorial
Park, and Eagle Park (at rear of
Jasper Methodist Church
•Talking Rock Road, beginning
south of Poole Lane, going down
into North Main Street
•Hood Road out to Gennett
See GA Power on 11A
